Conversations with Ashley Smith & Anna Galle

 

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Smith & Anna Galle.

Hi Ashley and Anna, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today. 
Ashley: I grew up in a small town and went to college at the University of Texas. I taught and traveled in Korea and Southeast Asia and spent many wonderful years living and working in Austin before moving to Los Angeles with my husband, Thomas, in 2012. My LA journey began at one of the big studios, where I spent several years working in marketing and production; then, in 2015, I had a personal health crisis that made me reevaluate everything. I was diagnosed with a chronic kidney disease and started looking for additional treatment options and lifestyle recommendations that could help. My search led me to Chinese Medicine, and one doctor in particular who focused on treating kidney disease. I started seeing her regularly and it dramatically improved my kidney condition as well as my overall health. It was really a lifestyle shift. Throughout all of this, I thought long and hard about what I believed in, what I wanted my life to look like, and what really mattered to me. I kept coming back to health, which I believe is really the foundation of everything in our lives. I decided I wanted to help others heal with natural medicine in the same way I was able to. So, I left my job to pursue a Master’s degree in Chinese Medicine at Emperor’s College in Santa Monica. I completed my 4-year master’s degree in 2021 and opened my practice, Elemental Wellness Acupuncture, later that year. In the second year of my program, Thomas and I decided to try to have a baby, and we ended up with twins! They are almost 6 now, and life is nonstop with all that comes with being a healthcare practitioner, a small business owner, and a mother of twins. I wouldn’t change a thing.

Anna: I started off my career as a criminal defense and family law attorney in South Carolina. I became an attorney to help people, however I found that although I was successful it wasn’t the life I wanted to live. After moving to Los Angeles, I started attending graduate school for Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). I knew the efficacy of Acupuncture because I had it many times myself. I felt this medicine was the best way to express my desire to help others.

 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Ashley: There have been so many challenges along the way. I’d say the greatest challenges have come with parenthood and building a business. Actually, having twins is one thing, but recovering from labor and surviving the exhaustion of the first few years while finishing a graduate program and getting licensed was a huge challenge. And, of course, there are the day-to-day challenges of being a parent, trying to be the very best for them every single day. Then, there are the challenges that come with owning a small business. The ebbs and flows of the business and all the inner workings that you have to manage yourself. I have an amazing business partner, and working on building our practice together has been so much better than going it alone. But we wear all the hats, and we are constantly working to take care of the business and marketing tasks while also focusing on treating patients, which is really where we direct the majority of our energy.

Anna: The challenges I have faced are the negative views of Acupuncture you read on the internet. Although there are a lot of studies showing its effectiveness and value, there is a lot of misinformation still floating around out there. For example Acupuncture is one of the complementary and integrative health approaches within the Veterans Health Affairs Whole Health System of care. If the United States Department of Veterans Affairs is recommending and providing acupuncture, that says a lot about its value.

Overall I love what I do and I find tremendous joy in helping my patients. For that reason I find that my path has been a smooth one.

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Ashley:  At Elemental Wellness, Anna and I treat people with a variety of health concerns, but our main areas of focus are mental health, reproductive health, and pain management. We help people with stress, depression, anxiety, and addiction recovery. We treat pain conditions of all kinds, and we see lots of women’s health cases, everything from regulating hormones and menstrual cycles to fertility treatments, pregnancy symptoms, postpartum recovery, and supporting people in the transition to menopause. We treat patients using Chinese Medicine diagnosis methods, acupuncture, herbal medicine formulations, cupping, dietary therapy, and subconscious belief work, which is a type of meditation similar to hypnosis. Our clinical specialties are greatly informed by our own struggles and experiences, which I think makes us really passionate and empathetic practitioners. Anna and I truly care about our patients and we truly believe this medicine can change lives. 

To continue my education, I’ve started working on a doctoral program in Chinese Medicine, where I’ve had the opportunity to take advanced coursework in reproductive medicine, internal medicine, and longevity. I’ve also learned to treat using various styles of acupuncture and diagnosis methods. I hope to complete the program by the end of next year with a focus on treating mental health conditions with Chinese Medicine. 

Outside of Elemental Wellness, I work with two very talented therapists in an integrative care setting, primarily supporting outpatient recovery patients with acupuncture and Chinese Medicine. 

People always ask if Chinese Medicine can treat this thing or that thing, and the answer is always yes! It’s a complete system of medicine that works alone or in conjunction with other types of treatment. And it works.

Anna: I am currently focused on low back, SI joint and pelvic floor pain. I spend a lot of my time researching solutions and causes of these types of pain.

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Ashley: My advice for those who are just starting out would be to live according to your values and believe in your why. Life takes unexpected turns, and careers have winding paths. You can’t always control the ups and downs, and you won’t always see a clear path forward, but if you believe in what you’re doing, if you find it meaningful and valuable, that belief can be your guiding light and a great source of strength and encouragement when things get hard. Also, I’ve found that most things take time — building a business, learning a new craft, etc. There are so many days when you feel like your goal is so far away, but be patient with yourself and celebrate the tiny victories along the way. Little by little, day by day, the small accomplishments add up to huge progress.

Anna: Do your research to find the school that is right for you.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.elementalwellnessacupuncture.com
• Instagram: @elementalwellnessacupuncture
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elementalwellnessacupuncture/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleysmith5/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjd2MuzGQ-VLpPMdQwXXpgA

Image Credits
Jackson Davis Photography